I'm On Fire
by mudget
Summary: Ten Wheeler ficlets inspired by ten random songs on my iTunes. Rated for mild language.


**A/N - So this is the Shuffle Challenge (see my CP Shuffle to see what I'm talking about), but with a focus on Wheeler. There are 10 ficlets, each inspired by a song (which sometimes was definitely a challenge!). I decided to use this as a writing exercise to help me get back into the zone when I was over thinking details, or stuck or whatever, and so it was written over a period of time. It was fun, and it definitely helped! It also let me explore different aspects of Wheeler's personality. **

**Enjoy :D**

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><p>(<strong>Solitude Is Bliss<strong> – Tame Impala)

Sometimes it was nice to get away from everyone, to seek solitude and enjoy things _he_ enjoyed.

When you spend every waking hour, day after day, surrounded by the same four people it could get a little overwhelming. Each of them relished catching time for themselves; seeking seclusion, timeout. Timeout from being a Planeteer, being the one that everyone relied on. Timeout from being 'Planeteer Wheeler' and just being 'Wheeler'.

It allowed him a small sense of freedom. He enjoyed the company and the attention, but sometimes solitude was bliss.

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><p>(<strong>Stop Trying<strong> – Sia)

Sometimes he felt like they were fighting a losing a battle. It got them all down, when a mission failed, or when an Eco-Villain they had tirelessly fought was just let back out to find some other loop-hole and create some new mission for them to fight.

He wiped a hand across his brow, leaving a dirty smear and sighed. He wondered what would happen if they did stop trying, if they gave up the fight that never seemed to end. Stretching his back he looked over to Gi and Linka as they tended to the wounded, appreciative smiles given in exchange for their tireless work. He watched as Ma-Ti waded through the mud, unconcerned and determined. He glanced up to Kwame, standing beside him, who offered him a tired but warm smile.

He didn't think they _could _stop trying. Not really. Not while they had each other.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Coming Back<strong> – Gotye)

"Wheeler, phone!" shouted Gi. He gave her a questioning look. She mouthed that it was his mother.

Wheeler hauled himself off the couch, taking the phone from Gi. He stepped through the doorway and turned his back on the rest of the Planeteers to take the call.

"Hey Ma. Is everything ok? Is it...is it dad?"

"Hi honey. No, no your father's doing ok. Just...well, we haven't heard from you in a while. We worry about you."

"No need to worry 'bout me. I can take care of myself," he answered. "I've been doing it long enough," he added quietly.

Silence for a beat. "Well, we- we were just wondering when you were coming home. To visit us? It's been so long..."

Wheeler ran a hand through his hair as he glanced through the doorway to his fellow companions laughing in the common room. "I don't know, Ma. It's just, it's kinda hard, what with all the eco-missions and attending summits. We don't exactly run on a schedule here. Kinda makes it hard to plan holidays."

"Oh."

Wheeler scrubbed a hand over his face. "It's not like that."

"No, no I understand. I do. We miss you, honey. You never call. I worry."

Guilt twisted at Wheeler's stomach as the silence hung on the other end of the line.

He glanced up, catching sight of Gi playfully punching Kwame on the arm. Rubbing his eye with a forefinger he said resignedly, "I'll see what I can do, Ma. I'll see if I can come back for a visit."

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><p>(<strong>The Rake's Song<strong> – The Decemberists) **lol at this ficlet. Listen to the song, seriously.**

The wedding would be large and white and all puffy dresses and confetti; the wedding night awkward and anticlimactic, involving muscle cramps and falling off the bed.

Then the kids would start popping out, one after the other, ceaselessly and never ending. All high pitched wailing and crinkled faces.

He'd start greying prematurely and drinking heavily. He'd frequently wonder what had happened to his youth and mourn the carefree days. He would resent being married, being chained, and more than anything he'd resent the children.

"Hey Wheeler!" called Gi, running up the beach towards him from the surf. Her approach shook him awake from his reverie. "Urgh, Wheeler, are you ok? You look awful. Anyway, Linka wants to know when you're coming in for a swim," she said with a wink and a playful nudge.

He glanced from Gi to the bikini-clad Russian he had been watching prior. "Uh, I-uh...I think I'm..." he stammered. "I think I hear Gaia calling," he finished and quickly turned on his heel and bolted.

"Ok then. Weird..." Gi commented to herself.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Burn My Shadow<strong> – Unkle)

"Uh oh," Wheeler said, worriedly. "Oh this is not good. This is definitely not good." He stared at the glowing red numbers counting down. "Uh, guys," he called over his shoulder. "I think we got problems."

The other Planeteers gathered around him. Gi's face paled and Linka swore under her breath in Russian. They all glanced nervously at once another.

"No prize for guessing that those jackasses knew we'd come after them and set this up just for us," said Wheeler. "Don't it make you feel warm and fuzzy that they'd go outta their way for us?" he grinned.

"Wheeler! How can you joke at a time like this?" admonished Linka. "What are we going to do? They blocked the way out. We are trapped!" She sounded only slightly hysterical.

The American studied the bomb a moment before confidently declaring, "I reckon I can stop it. We just have to defuse it. I've seen it done in _loads_ of movies."

Kwame shared a nervous look with Ma-Ti. Linka didn't look impressed

"Or we could just call Captain Planet…" Gi added.

"…Or we could do that," replied Wheeler, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced to the bomb, looking slightly disappointed. "Still reckon I coulda stopped it."

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><p>(<strong>Asleep<strong> – Emily Browning [Sucker Punch soundtrack])

Wheeler sat in front of the campfire, staring at the flickering flames. He absently rubbed his shoulder, stiff and aching from their run in with Plunder and Bleak earlier that day. The air was chill and crisp; a stark contrast to the stifling heat from the day.

The rest of the Planeteers had already snuggled down into their sleeping bags, exhausted from the day's adventures and hard trekking across the African plains. He was tired – physically exhausted – but his mind wouldn't let him sleep yet. He was also a little apprehensive about sleeping out in the open, in the middle of the African Savannah, but of course wasn't about to admit it.

His ring glowed momentarily and the dying flames flared to life once more, driving away the creeping shadows and the cold. So intent on his thoughts and the dancing fire before him he didn't hear Linka quietly approaching and jumped when she suddenly appeared next to him. She sat beside him wordlessly and extended her hands towards the fire. He watched her from the corner of his eye.

After a moment he said quietly, "Can't sleep either, huh?" She shook her head with a rueful smile.

They sat in awkward silence amongst the sounds of the fire cracking and popping, the bellow of a lion in the distance, the thrum of crickets and cicadas, and the soft sounds of their friend's sleeping.

"Wheeler," began Linka, her eyes firmly fixed on the campfire. "I am sorry for earlier…"

He glanced at her sideways, watching her profile. She avoided his eye. He looked back to the fire and shrugged. "S'ok."

The tension across Linka's shoulders eased ever so slightly and they sat companionably before the fire. Sleep was a little closer on the horizon.

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><p>(<strong>The Hollow<strong> – A Perfect Circle)

"Why do you always do that?" asked Gi, a tone of irritation in her voice.

"Do what?" asked Wheeler, his eyes still glued to the derrière of the cute brunette walking away.

"_That_. Hit on every woman that looks in your direction." She peered up at him, studying his profile. "Though I'm fairly certain you would chat up the ones that don't."

"Whatya talking about, Gi?" he asked with an air of denial. "I don't hit on _every_ girl. Just the cute ones." He flashed a grin with a twinkle in his eye, and leaned against the side of the Geocruiser.

Gi punched him lightly on the arm. "I'm serious." She looked up at him. He turned his head and looked at her, his grin slowly fading at her sober expression.

He shrugged and looked down at his feet, feeling uncomfortable under her scrutiny. "I don't know. I like it, I guess. It's fun."

Gi crossed her arms and leaned her back against the cool surface of the Geocruiser. He definitely considered himself a lady's man, even if a significant number of his conquests ended before they began. She thought Wheeler mostly did it to make Linka jealous. But only the two of them had met up with the brunette.

Wheeler buried his hands deep into his pockets as he contemplated Gi's question. He did enjoy flirting with women, and why shouldn't he? Linka could get shitty as much as she wanted, but seriously, she wouldn't even admit that she liked his attentions. And after all of her put-downs he could do with his ego stroked once in a while. He smirked to himself. He could do with something else stroked once in a while too.

Hi sighed and glanced down at Gi. "You really wanna know the answer?" She looked back at him expectantly. "Just remember, you asked," he added with a raised brow and a leer. She screwed her nose up but grinned and waited for him to continue.

"Sometimes it's nice just to get laid," Wheeler answered bluntly. "It's a distraction, I guess. It was a distraction from the shitty life I lived in Brooklyn. And yeah, I guess a distraction from all the work we do trying to save the planet every day. Stress relief, I guess you'd call it." He shrugged self-consciously at that. He grinned suddenly and draped an arm around Gi's shoulders. "And hey, if someone's willing to give me attention I'm not one to complain." He winked.

Gi laughed, shaking her head. "You're incorrigible," she replied.

* * *

><p>(<strong>Jigsaw Falling Into Place – <strong>Radiohead)

He's in a seedy bar in downtown Brooklyn. He doesn't know what drew him in there. There's nothing particularly special about it; a fizzing neon sign above the entrance, a bouncer beside the door eyeing the women entering and leaving, and a buzz of chatter and the steady thump of music wafting from the entrance. But, as he ritually wandered the streets late one night he caught the peal of laughter and thought why the hell not.

He lingers close to the bar, orders a Bourbon and Coke and looks out across the hazy room. A woman catches his eye as she slinks up to the bar and perches on the stool beside him. She glances to him with a predatory glint in her eye. He gives her his charm smile and sets to work on his new target.

She's handing him her number on a napkin. There's a red ring on one corner from where she'd sat her Vodka and Raspberry on it. A smile spreads on her rouged lips as he pockets it and she grabs his hand to lead him out across the dance floor to the door.

They weave between gyrating bodies. He passes a blonde. They eye each other as they pass. He looks back and she's still looking back at him. Soon she's lost amongst the smoke cloud and anonymous faces. She was another bar, another night.

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><p>(<strong>Rootless<strong> – Marina and the Diamonds)

Wheeler never felt like he had a home. Oh, he had a house with his stuff in it, but he never considered it a _home_. Whenever his mom was out at work he'd avoid lingering for too long. His dad started drinking earlier these days and he was sick of hearing how worthless he was. The house reeked of cigarettes and stale sweat and booze. Even the New York air smelled better.

His mum tried to keep the peace, and it was mostly for her sake that he stuck around for as long as he did. But things were getting progressively worse between him and his dad, and he came to resent their shitty little apartment. Conversations – if that's what they could be called – consisted of bitter words, scathing put downs and inarticulate shouting. He was pretty sure the neighbours could hear everything; they either gave him looks of pity or of disappointment when they passed in the hallway. No, it was easier to avoid the place. He'd rather risk the streets of Brooklyn.

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><p>(<strong>Oh Father – <strong>Sia)

Settling into his seat he scrubs his hands over his face, runs his fingers through his hair and releases a noisy sigh. At the familiar thrum of the Geocruiser the past few days begin to settle into memory. The newly remembered days before the Planeteers slip away with the diminishing New York skyline as Kwame navigates their way back to Hope Island.

He clasps his hands behind his head and closes his eyes. A part of his pre-Planeteer life lingers, and it's this thought that he mulls over - his dad. Though he left feeling somewhat better, their relationship was far from patched and picture-perfect. An utterance of pride and an embrace couldn't undo years of verbal abuse and resentment.

He never had a good relationship with his dad, even from a young age. They just never got along. He didn't even think twice when Gaia offered him the opportunity to get out of there. He drags a finger across his eye guiltily. He got out. He shouldn't really be surprised that Trish – _Trash_ – was so pissed that he just up and left. He got his break and didn't look back. He got away from his dad, from a mundane life, and finally made something of himself. He never thought he would. He'd started to believe his dad; that he was worthless, would never become anything.

He drops his hands into his lap, fingers his ring and looks out the window of the cruiser. He realises it was a big admission on his father's part, to say he was proud of him. He couldn't deny that it felt good to hear those words.


End file.
